Disadvantages

Hi I want to buy acer 2012wlmi and I need the true disadvantages of this notebook but really pls say true and do not type that this notebook is prefect in all position...thanks Ps:And Has it the arcade button and the LCD display on the front??And how it works??? Thanks Enti333

 

Keyboard recessed too far may cause problems with typing.
Made of plastic instead of alluminum alloy (not a big deal).
4200rpm hard drive (not a big deal again but some people thing it is the world).
Only 64mb graphics and not 128 (still has good performance).
Mouse buttons are a little hard (ive heard that of other notebooks and its just for weak people, who uses the pad anyway).
There are NO arcade buttons on the front they are on the keyboard using Fn keys.

Other than those very small details this notebook gives you great bang for the buck and a real nice design.

 

I can add few more things.

Keyboard:
Placed very closed to the display, making it uncomfortable to type when you are using it on a desk. But it's perfect when it's on your lap.
No dedicated keys for "Home" and "End". Instead you have to use Fn+Home and Fn+End
Delete key is placed at upper right corner.
Power key and 4 programmable keys are very small
Touch pad buttons and internet scroll keys are way too stiff. I gave up using them in 2 days and started using a USB pocket mouse.
The black surface easily gets finger prints.

Hard Drive:
Hard drive is formatted into 2 major partitions (plus 2 very small ones). Primary partition is formatted in FAT32. The other partition (also in FAT32) contains a big chunk of recovery files. Several Acer software are pre-installed. But Norton Antivirus 3month edition comes in a separate CD. So you can opt it out if you want.

The Look:
It's personal preference. I like the outer look and the display. But not the keyboard/touch pad area. The large spaces at both sides of the touch pad give it a bad look.

The weight and size:
It's 3kg and 36x27x33cm. So you can decide. I'm bit lazy to take it with me to Starbucks. It's certainly not truly mobile.

Battery:
I tested battery life 3 times. With normal office applications, internet, few songs and wireless LAN, it goes on for about 4.5 hours. It recharges in 2 hours (off mode).

Wireless:
It has Intel Pro B/G wireless. Nothing really special about it. It works OK in Campus wireless network. There is a big, clearly visible button at the front side to disable wireless anytime.
It does not have bluetooth. Beautiful bluetooth button it has is just a show up.

Connection Ports:
3 USBs, 1 VGA, 1 Parallel, S video, Modem and LAN all located at the back. FIR port and PC card slot are at two sides. I don't like that it has only 3 USBs and that all of them are at the back side. And it lacks a PS/2 port.

Video:
I can't comment on the graphics card, because I have the 2012WLCi version with no graphics card. Still I can play some games (SimCity 4, NFS, Nascar 4) without any troubles. DVD movies play great. Aspire Arcade software launches automatically when DVD is inserted. Aspire Arcade is the only valuable software comes with this notebook. And it's nice.

Processor:
It's may not be as fast as latest Dothan processor and P4 3.2 GHz with HT. But I feel that it's faster than 2.8GHz P4 desktops (Dell) I am using at school.
FAT32 is not ideal for WinXP. Best thing is to get a WinXP CD and clean install. I just converted file system of primary partition to NTFS using DOS command and achieved a significant boost in startup.

Overall:
Although there are some flaws in the ergonomics of keyboard and touchpad, I still believe this notebook is the best value for money mainstream notebook in the market. I searched for a notebook for 2 months and checked features and prices of a large number of notebooks in the Canadian market. Aspire 2012WLCi I bought for $1700 (before taxes) is the cheapest 15.4" Centrino notebook I came across. If you think the additional features in WLMi model are important for you, it provides you even better value/money. I haven't tried Acer's customer support yet. But I'm relaxed that there is an Authorized Service Provider nearby.

 

Those are very good points you provided, Denis. And as I am shopping for a laptop right now, I am pretty sure the price is the lowest as of today for your model (08/06/2004). I have a number of questions, hope you don't mind.

1) I have looked at the laptop at a shop called Notebook Outlet at Pacific Mall, Markham, and the sales told me that the 2012WLCi model now has bluetooth. I am wondering if this is true because I haven't heard anything about Bluetooth being implemented on this model.

2) I am going to be taking some computer courses in university and wonder if you think this model (with integrated graphics from Intel) is sufficient for programming and some modest gaming.

3) I have compared this model with Asus model, and although I like Acer the company more, I am highly attracted by Asus' more competitive pricing. A M6BNe cost around $1799 (and it has ATI MR9700). And then I came across a model called Asus z9000, which cost around $1500 Can. before tax. And the following are the specs.

Intel P-M 1.5 GHz
ATI chipset
Up to 128MB of integrated video (ATI MR9100 IGP)
40GB Hdd
512MB DDR-SDRAM
Asus b/g wireless card
15.0 WXGA display (1024x768)

Do you think the z9000 is a good deal? And do you know what the difference is between ATI chipset and Intel's centrino chipset? Any difference? Do you trust Asus as a company to provide necessary support when needed?
Thanks! Appreciate any advice you can give me.

 

I didn't get Bluetooth with mine. It wasn't an available option when I bought my 2012WLCi. But it's definitely a valuable addition.

Although Acer specs say that this model has the old Banias processor, mine came with a Dothan processor. This is an added bonus, but probably due to a mix-up.

I think a laptop with a 12" or smaller display would be ideal to be used in classrooms. 15” and 15.4” notebooks occupy quite a large space on your desk. But they are good out of the classroom and to play games, watch movies etc.

2012WLCi can play some games, though some of them are played at a low performance mode. Intel website lists some of the games you can play with Intel Extreme Graphics 2: http://support.intel.com/support/graphics/sb/CS-010471.htm?iid=graphics+852main&

Asus z9000 is one of the machines I considered seriously before deciding on Acer. You can save about $200 CDN. But what I heard is; this Asus system is based on barebone Z9 and you don't get warranty for all the components from Asus. Someone who knows for sure can correct me if I am wrong. Z9000 has a ATI chipset instead of Intel, which I am not confident of going for. But I guess graphics performance is much better in z9000. ATI chipset is not very popular. So future support is questionable. You might have to face incompatibility issues with other hardware and software. If you are not madly concerned with graphics, better to go with Intel.

Apart from this I wasn't satisfied with Asus support in Canada. I couldn't even find a toll-free number of their customer support. But Acer support seems very good. There is an authorized service provider 20 minutes from my home. Check this link to find out about your city: http://secure.tx.acer.com/acspnetmisc/ASPLocator.aspx